2006.06.12

It's been a while since I have posted about a movie, but today I have to stand up and say to the world, "I LOVE PIXAR!"

Truth be told, I get to watch a lot of animated movies these days, and let me tell you that most of them are terrible. I just don't understand what makes filmmakers think that taking a bad story with weak characters and drawing it (even on computers) somehow makes it okay for public consumption. I haven't seen a quality animated film since The Incredibles.

Enter Cars, the newest release from Pixar. For full disclosure here, I must admit that I have a slight bias for anything Pixar releases. I love the company. I love the cretive culture. I think John Lassetter is the modern day Walt Disney. And, for the record, I am a stockholder (or was...they took away my Pixar shares and gave me a bunch of Disney).

The real reason I love this company is the reason I love this movie. Story, story, story. Everything Pixar puts on screen--and I mean everything--is there to make the story better. Not longer, not more visually eye-popping, but better. Better stories mean better movies. It's as simple as that.

Cars was, in my estimation, the best Pixar film to date. (In case you are wondering, my order would be: Cars, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2.) The animation was absolutely stunning, needless to say--neon lights reflected in the paint of a moving car...a multi-car crash in a stock car race...WOW! The cast was first rate, and the voices were extremely well-matched (unlike Bruce Willis in Dreamworks' latest, Over the Hedge). But back to my point, it is the story that makes this movie a winner. Heart-warming, inspiring, funny, emotional. I would tell you a really touching story about something Cason said toward the end of the movie, but I don't want to spoil anything.

Long story short, go see this movie, even if you don't have kids. If it makes you feel less foolish, grab some 8-year-old from your block and drag him with you (he'll probably thank you). This is a terrific movie, animated or not, and is worth every effort to see it on the big screen.